


One Blink At A Time

by brokenhighways



Series: The Thrill [5]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 04:03:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12786552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: Zero deals with the fact that he's made enemies out of Jelena and Oscar while ignoring media shitstorm surrounding him.





	One Blink At A Time

**Author's Note:**

> Fifth part of The Thrill. I have no idea how it got so long, but I had fun writing it. I think the show only ever touched on the aftermath of the kiss briefly so it was interesting to write my version so to speak.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

**-I-**

It starts with a story on TMZ as these things often do. Some ex-girlfriend (that Zero doesn't even remember) talking about how controlling and arrogant he is.

“ _He used to pick out my outfits._ ” Laura reads a line off the computer screen before she adds, “Like you dated any girl long enough to even _see_ her wardrobe.”

She has a point, but he _did_ date Jelena for three months. That's mostly because Jelena called the shots and he was too busy getting off on the fact that he got to parade Terrence Wall's girlfriend. He learned about their break up the same way everyone else did - InTouch Weekly.

“There was Jelena,” Jude points out unhelpfully, before shooting Zero a knowing look. They both know that the words in the article are probably hers because she's determined to make his life a misery.

However, Zero can handle the brewing feud between him and Jelena on his own. He doesn't need Laura getting involved and making everything messy, especially with their history.

“Jelena and I get on great,” Zero says, shaking his head when Jude turns to frown at him. “In fact we have a couple's dinner thingy with Derek and Terrence in a few days.”

Jude blanches at the sound of that and Zero can't blame him. It's PR shit, a way for the team to look loving and accepting, but he'd rather they do that from afar.

“Couple's dinner date thingy,” Laura echoes. “Sounds terrible.”

Jude scoffs. “You can say that again.”

“Speaking of dinner, have you rehired Clive?” Laura asks him.

Zero rolls his eyes. “No, and I'm not going to either.”

“Jude, c’mon, make him see reason?”

“I'm staying out of it.”

“Who died and made you Switzerland?”

Zero's bravado is just that - he has no idea why Clive hasn't come back since their argument. He's called his wife and she's equally as clueless. The argument wasn't even that major, just a minor disagreement about a Ducati. Clive wanted a small loan to find his burgeoning mid-life crisis and Zero told him _no._ It wasn't even about the money, but Clive's welfare. It's just that Zero is bad at admitting that he actually cares about Clive. Their thing is arguing and pretending to loathe each other. It would be wrong to disrupt that rhythm.

Zero narrows his eyes at Laura. “I thought you all people would be happy that he's gone.”

Laura rolls her eyes. “Unlike him, I don't enjoy babysitting you. Fix things.”

Zero turns to his right for some moral support, but all Jude does is take a swig of coffee and look away.

**-II-**

Despite his better judgement, Zero drives to Clive's house. He'll never admit this, but Clive's the only friend he has. They might argue and butt heads but Clive has always had his back. There's no way that Zero can make it through _coming out_ without him.

Clive's wife, Zara, opens the door when he knocks. Their house is a two storey detached building on a quiet street in Santa Ana. He's only ever been here a few times, only ever met the kids a couple more times than that. Hearing _Uncle Zero_ is enough for him to never want to see the brats again.

“What do you want?” Zara snaps, eyes narrowed against the harsh glare of the sun.

Zero smiles politely. “Is Clive here?”

“He doesn't want to speak to you,” she says.

“He wanted to buy a _Ducati.”_ Zero stresses the point because she of all people should be on his side.

“Look, I'm all in favour of you crushing his dreams, but it's _how_ you do it,” she says with a long, low sigh. “You went with judgment, I went with a binder full of crash statistics.”

“Did it work?” Zero asks, eyebrows raised in anticipation.

Zara's smug expression falls. “He bought a secondhand Harley.”

_Of course he did,_ Zero thinks.

“We need some middle ground. Like, a moped or something,” Zero says.

“Or a mobility scooter,” she says while scowling, before adding, “Why do you care anyway? You've been trying to get rid of Clive for years.”

Even though he doesn't know her the way he knows Clive, he decides to keep his answer as close to the truth as possible.

“I've come to consider him family. With Jude and my sister around, I can see that I was pretty lonely before, but I always had Clive. He's like...my best friend.”

Her eyes light up with barely concealed amusement and Zero groans inwardly. He's never going to live this down.

“Wait, sorry, can you repeat that so that I can record it?”

Zero raises an eyebrow and folds his arms. “What are you going to do, _blackmail_ me with it?”

“I was thinking TMZ.”

Zero shakes his head and snorts gently.“How about watching the game from my box on Saturday?”

“I guess that'll do.”

**-III-**

Clive's re-entry is about as dramatic as his exit.

Judging by the smug grin that appears on his face when he sees Zero, he clearly knows every single word that was said to his wife the previous day.

“I hear that I'm someone's _best friend_.”

Zero groans to himself and ignores him in favour of fixing himself some coffee.

Laura looks up from her phone and says, “Duh. Jude and I have been secretly calling you both _Cero._ Your bromance is unrivaled. Zero moped the whole time that you weren't here, Clive. It was so sad. Right, Jude?”

Jude nods sagely. “I caught him staring out of the window forlornly once or twice. Like a lonely puppy.”

Zero rolls his eyes and says, “Shut up and drive me to practice.”

“Who are you talking to?” Laura asks. “And also why can't you drive yourself? You have _three_ cars, you might as well use them. I have to update Clive on your schedule so we're busy.”

Jude cuts in before Zero can say anything. “I have an early meeting anyway, so I'm ready when you are. But first you have to make up with Clive _properly_.”

Zero folds his arms and says, “I went to his house and I haven't set fire to his Harley, isn't that enough?”

Clive grins brightly. “I missed you too, bestie!”

Despite the joking around, Zero aims a small nod in Clive's direction and smiles when he gets one back.

After they're done eating breakfast, he drains his coffee and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge before following Jude.

He busies himself with checking messages on his phone while Jude's setting the car up. So far, it's mostly junk and a lot of anxious emails from his publicist. They still need to replace Lucas as his agent so there are a handful from the agency, not that he wants to work with them anymore. Clearly they don't vet their applicants properly.

There needs to be a stipulation that states: _won't try to kiss the client's boyfriend._

“Oscar wants to see me,” Jude says once he's pulled out of the driveway. “ _Again_. I think he's still convinced that this whole thing is a cry for attention. He's threatening to make life difficult if I don't 'put a stop to this madness’.”

Jude's tone is indifferent, but Zero knows that he's bothered by the situation. Anyone would be, much less someone who could barely get a conversation with their father before they became a public spectacle.

“I'll talk to him,” Zero says. “I should have done that before I kissed you like that. If Oscar wants to accuse anyone of anything, it should be me.”

Jude glances at him briefly. “Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea.”

Zero runs a thumb over the edge of his phone and asks, “Why not? I'm a pretty important part of the team. The way I see it, Oscar needs me. I'm not going anywhere, but I can easily call his bluff. Leak a couple of things.”

They draw to stop at a red light and Jude exhales messily.

“His problem isn't really _you,_ it's me. The fact that a son that nobody knew about is suddenly in the spotlight makes him look bad. He's hoping that I'll go quietly.”

Zero's already brewing anger silently boils over and he decides that he's going to gatecrash this meeting. Oscar might pay his exorbitant wages, but that doesn't give him the right to mess with Jude anymore than he has already.

**-IV-**

Jude doesn't think that Zero tagging along is a good idea, but he gives up his protests after a few minutes. His body language screams _frustrated_ , but the whole point of this is that he has to have Jude's back. The best place to do that is by his side and not ducking away.

“Zero, what a nice surprise,” Oscar greets him coldly when they enter the garishly designed office. The desk is black and the wallpaper is an off green, coupled with some hideous leather furniture. There are so many pictures of Oscar littered around that Zero feels like he's seeing double. Or _triple._

“I wish I could say that same, boss,” Zero says with a dark smile. “I'd hate for people to hear that you haven't personally reached out to me to offer your support.”

Jude eyebrows shoot up like he's silently asking _what are you doing_? Zero doesn't acknowledge the look because he's engaged in silent stare off with Oscar. Oscar breaks first, gesturing for them to sit.

“You chose to make a show of yourself in my stadium, in front of advertisers who make me a lot of money. The same money that funds your extravagant lifestyle, I might add. Excuse me for not showering you with confetti.”

Zero narrows his eyes, because he's not an idiot. There might be some blowback, but right now they're getting more attention than ever before.

“So, that's why you're threatening Jude, because your _advertisers_ are pissed off?”

Oscar bristles with anger. “I'm not threatening anyone. Not least of all my own son.”

Zero rolls his eyes. “I know more about your 'son’ than you ever will, so the sentimental bullshit doesn't wash with me. Leave Jude alone, or I'll see that the press know just how much of an unsupportive bigot you are. C’mon, Jude, let's go.”

Jude follows him out of the office silently, his face ashen and apprehensive.

“I can speak for myself, you know?” Jude hisses when they're making their way down the hallway.

“I know that,” Zero says. “Just wanted to let him know how it is.”

“He's not going to leave it alone,” Jude adds.

“I know that too.”

Jude stops and looks at him, his eyes stormy and unclear. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

Jude smiles softly and says, “For having my back with Oscar. No one has ever…” He trails off but Zero knows what he's trying to say. He darts forward and kisses Jude gently, not drawing it out because of where they are.

“You don't need to thank me,” Zero tells Jude after he pulls away. “I'll always have your back.”

Jude reaches out and touches his arm lightly. “I love you too, Gideon.”

Zero can't hide his smile, but he pulls Jude along with him when he starts moving again. The last thing he needs is anyone knowing that his sappiness has spiralled out of control.

**-V-**

The couple's dinner takes place at the Playground, because everything they do is just a long running commercial for the team. Oscar is there with some poor woman whose fake smile isn't fooling anybody. He makes a big show of greeting Zero, shakes his hand and says some bullshit about the Devils ‘standing by him during this difficult time’. It takes great restraint for Zero not to let everyone know how it really is, but for Jude's sake he plasters on a smile and simply fantasises about punching Oscar in in the face.

The biggest thorn in Zero's side is undeniably Jelena who's not hiding her disdain for him. Her smile drops as soon as no one is paying attention to her excessively large engagement ring.

“Enjoy the attention while it lasts,” she mutters when Zero walks past her.

He stops and turns to her. “What exactly is your deal?”

“Terrence is on his way out of the game and our engagement was the first part of the next phase. Except, you're stealing all of our exposure. Nobody cares that we're getting married, and nobody cares about the end of his career.”

Zero would laugh but he knows that she's being serious. All Jelena does is plot and scheme, whether it's someone's demise or furthering herself, her brain is always going at a hundred miles an hour. Zero's extremely glad that dealing with it is no longer his problem.

“Terrence could have told me that, but who was it that drove a wedge between us?” Zero asks her. “You used me and this is what you get. I don't care about you or Terrence. You can sell whatever stories you like, but just be warned. I _will_ hit back eventually and I can make shit up too.”

Jelena flounders momentarily before she says, “I didn't _use_ you. I recall it being the other way around.”

Zero snorts. “You used me to make Terrence jealous and I used you to raise my profile. We both knew what it was. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm done with this conversation.”

He walks around her and away before she can reply. He's trying to spot Jude when Ahsha appears in front of him with a huge smile on her face. Zero is momentarily taken aback because he's never really spoken to her before.

“This was a great idea!” she says, seemingly really excited by what is essentially a PR exercise. “I think all of the couples should get together all the time.”

“Yeah…” Zero trails off because he doesn't have it in him to even pretend that he thinks that's a good idea.

“Anyway, I think it's great what you're doing, you and Jude make such a cute couple,” she continues. “I don't get why people are being so mean about it, but I've got your back.”

“Uh, thanks?” Zero says. “I'm just going to--”

“--you and Jude should come over some time. I know that you and Derek have some unresolved beef, but you know, I really do think that you'd get along if you just tried and--”

“Thanks, but I really need to--”

“--the girls and I are trying to come up with a routine that's all sparkly and rainbowish in your honour, I think it's going to be awesome. Jelena wanted us to do something for her engagement, but I think this is better and…”

At this point, Zero stops listening to her because in between the rambling and wild hand gestures he's starting to get a headache. He catches sight of Derek passing through in the background and tries to signal to him, but all he gets is an amused grin in response.

Eventually, he spots Laura hovering in the corner somewhere and finally interrupts to say, “Can you excuse me for a second? I'll be right back.”

He steps past her before she can say anything and makes his way over to Laura who's now sitting by the bar and tapping away at her phone.

“That girl can talk for England,” he says when he takes a seat next to her. “About anything and everything.”

Laura laughs but she doesn't look up. “I did think it was weird that you had so much to say to her, but the expression on your face was too hilarious for me to come and rescue you.”

“You mean to tell me that you saw all of that and you just left me there?” Zero says. “What kind of sister are you?”

“The kind that needs all the amusement she can get, besides where's Jude? Did he finally clock that this 'dinner’ was just a long ass photo op with canapés and decide to run far, far away?”

Zero's about to answer when he realises that he hasn't actually seen Jude since he got here. He shoots him a quick text before he's sucked into a conversation with some journalist hack who seems hell-bent on finding out who his favourite male celebrity is.

“I can't get enough of Vanilla Ice,” he snaps sarcastically after the guy starts cajoling him rather aggressively. With an eye roll, he manages to make his way out of the Playground. Luckily for him, Jude's out in the hallway, with his phone pressed to his ear. There are a few stragglers from the party ( _couples dinner,_ his ass) eyeing them curiously, but no one bothers them.

“Hey, where've you been?” Zero asks, pressing his hand onto Jude's shoulder gently. “I thought you'd run away.”

Jude shakes his head warily. “That was my mom. Apparently Oscar called her and then she called me. There was another story about you in the paper. Some player who you used to call _Baldilocks_.”

Zero cracks up just at the memory. “I'm surprised they had to go that far back to dig up some kind of scandal. Good times.”

“Did you really call him Baldilocks?” Jude's expression is a cross between amused and worried and Zero wants to reach out and wipe off the tension from his face.

“One day, he had a receding hairline and the next he had a full head of hair,” Zero points out. “We couldn't just let that slide. There's a locker room code of honour that states _all mocking opportunities must be taken up._ Besides it was a term of endearment. That's not the reason why that guy is pissed off with me.”

Jude raises an eyebrow. “He's claiming that it wasn't. A term of endearment that is.”

Zero shrugs. “The guy's a sanctimonious prick anyway. Who cares what any of these people have to say?”

Jude looks down momentarily before he looks back up with yet another frown. “I know that you like to project this image that you don't care, but I know that you do.”

“Whatever, man, I'm kind of tired of talking about myself with everyone. I'm still the same guy I was a month ago. I'm going back to the party.”

Jude doesn't follow him.

**-VI-**

The press from the party seems to get people to turn their attention to the _basketball_ side of things.

“The LA Times wonders if ' _the burgeoning personal issues facing Zero are the reason why he's been sucking so much lately_ ’,” Laura reads out over breakfast the next morning.

Jude sets his mug down, brow furrowed as he says, “It was _one_ bad game and that was to do with an injury.”

Clive pulls a face. “More like two bad games, but I'd say it's a knock-on effect caused by how badly Derek is playing.”

Laura blinks. “I thought that the team have been playing awesomely this whole time. Clearly I was wrong.”

Jude lets out a dry snort over his coffee. “Did you miss the part where they _lost_ two games? Besides, you don't even like basketball.”

“That doesn't mean that I can't tell when someone is playing well, doofus,” Laura retorts and Zero's surprised that she doesn't throw any food in Jude's direction.

“You just told us that you can't,” Jude shoots back. “We _all_ heard you.”

“Says the glorified masseuse.”

“I have a _master's degree,_ thank you very much.”

“Guys!” Zero finally has to cut in before they give him a headache. “It's just a rough spell. The team will be fine. In the meantime, I need a new agent.”

Laura grimaces, but she pulls out her phone and says, “I have interviews lined up for next week. What we need is a new publicist to put out some _good_ press.”

Clive holds up his iPad. “I'm already on it. I've been on Twitter all morning posting positive comments about Zero. Some people aren't buying it, but it's something “

Laura turns to look at him slowly. “Leave the thinking to me, okay? We need _real_ press not a few tweets.”

Jude shakes his head as he stands up. “Good luck with that. I'm pretty sure that Oscar is feeding the media these stories and he has a pretty long reach in this town.”

“Maybe someone should sell nasty stories about him,” Zero grumbles.

“Or, we can do something that makes Zero look good,” Laura says. “We have a few gay activist groups who are all dying to talk to you. And by a few I mean a lot.”

Zero sighs. “You can tell them all no.”

This time, no one interjects.

“Really, no commentary on _that_?” Zero says when the silence starts to become awkward.

“Nope,” Clive says a touch too quickly.

“Nothing from me either,” Laura adds even though she was the one that brought it up.

Zero turns to look at Jude who seems to be torn between fleeing and giving them all a piece of mind.

“You think I should talk to them?”

“I think that this is all a huge clusterfuck,” Jude says. “In between Oscar, my mom and having to be _on_ all the time, it's exhausting. Not to mention the players and---you know what, never mind?”

Laura catches the slip and because she has no tact, she says, “The players are giving you grief? Dude. Give Zero names so he can punch them and stuff.”

Clive raises a bushy eyebrow. “Laura, how much coffee have you had?”

Jude looks embarrassed, eyes distant as he says, “Just forget that I said anything.”

“Fine,” Zero says, not wanting to get into it until they're alone. He's absolutely ready to punch anyone _and stuff_ if he needs to.

**-VII-**

Derek catches up with Zero in the weight room at the arena.

“Do you need me to spot you?” he asks when he sees Zero lifting.

Zero places the weight back on the rack and sits up. He grabs his discarded towel and wipes the sweat from his brow.

“I'm good, thanks.”

“Really, it's no problem,” Derek says with a _smile._

Zero stares at him. “What do you want? Why are you being nice?”

Derek shakes his head. “Can't a teammate help out a teammate? In a strictly non-platonic way of course.”

Zero snorts. “You're not my type.”

Derek finally snaps out of bullshit mode and the smile falls off his face. “Look, I need a favour and you need the one I'm about to give you.”

“I'm listening,” Zero says.

“My cousin, she's a junior agent with a smaller firm, you know the kind that manage low level athletes _but_ she's good at what she does and looking for a way ahead. Now, I _could_ hire her, but I'd rather not fall out with a family member.”

“You want me to hire your cousin as my agent,” Zero says slowly. “What makes you think that I don't have a queue of agents lining up at my door.”

“Don't take this the wrong way, but no one will touch you right not with all of the bad press you're getting. On one hand, you're the first _out_ player, but on the other, you're still a douchebag. That’s interesting combination.”

“All of that bullshit is Oscar trying to smear my name because I'm with Jude,” Zero points out.

Derek scoffs. “Yeah, but who's going to believe that? I mean, didn't you see that heartfelt statement he put out about you guys?”

Zero sighs. Clearly, Oscar is winning their silent battle, but this is just the beginning.

“Give me your cousin's number.”

Derek slaps him on the back. “My man!”

Zero narrows his eyes. “Nice try, but I need a favour in return. A couple of the players are giving Jude some trouble and I'd like to know who they are.”

Jude will probably be upset if he knows that Zero confronted the players, but there are levels to this shit. They're being disrespectful towards _him_ as well, and he's going to do something about it.

“So, what? You're going to fight every single person that looks at Jude the wrong way.”

“You say fight, I say put them in their place,” Zero says. “You would do the same for Ahsha.”

Derek ponders for a few seconds before he says, “Give me until the end of the day.”

**~**

Derek's cousin is a tall woman named, Grace. She's in the middle of a heated phone call when Zero meets up with her at a bistro in West Hollywood.

“Post dumb shit on Twitter, jackass. Don't come crying to me when your mom's house is foreclosed and you can't even afford Spaghetti-Os.”

_Ouch,_ Zero thinks after he's approached her table.

She hangs up soon after and looks up at him, “Zero, right? Take a seat.”

Zero does so reluctantly. He's still not sure about this, but Derek _is_ right, there is no line of agents rushing to represent him.

Grace gets right down to it before Zero can ask a single question.

“Okay, so, usually, I'd have a huge sales pitch. You know, some kind of carrot to dangle, but right now, you're kind of past that point. I've done some calling around and I have three potential sponsors who might be willing to work with you.”

“ _Might_ be?”

Grace takes a sip of water and nods. “We need to clear up the bad press you're getting. So far, it's not having a major impact, but once the dust settles there might not be much left.”

“I knew what I was getting into,” Zero points out. “I don't expect everything to be be plain sailing, and I'm not going to cry over money. I have a pretty decent savings account.”

Grace eyes him warily. “That explains why you did that Japanese cat food commercial.”

Zero grins and leans back in his chair. “I'm all about being versatile.”

“Maybe you need to be less versatile,” she suggests. “However, you've got potential and while I'm not your biggest fan, Derek assures me that you're not a complete asshole.”

That's an understatement. Zero knows many players that would make an agent run through hoops and do magic tricks and still _not_ hire them. Luckily for her, he's not that kind of guy.

“If you want the job, it's yours,” he says before she can add anything else. “Not because I know anything about you or because I'm desperate, but because I owe Derek a favour and I'd rather pay it off now.”

“What makes you think that I _want_ to work for you?” Grace says. “A favour? Please.”

Maybe he should have left that part out.

Zero gives her a quick once over and answers her question. “Expensive watch, expensive earrings, expensive clothes. The fact that you're here at all. You might not want to to work for _me_ , but you want the job.”

Grace scoffs quietly. “And there was me thinking that you're just as dumb as most of the other players.”

“I hope you're including Derek in that,” Zero replies with a smirk. He reaches for his wallet and tosses a few bills on the table. “Welcome to the big leagues, kiddo.”

**-VIII-**

Zero's watching SportsCenter with Jude when Laura barges in and ruins their quiet time as she's prone to do.

“You have a new agent.”

Zero lifts his head from where it's resting on Jude's shoulder and lets out a redundant, “Yup.”

Laura folds her arms across her chest. “Thanks for letting me know. Oh, wait, you didn't.”

“I didn't let anyone know. I owe someone a favour and unfortunately, this is how I have to repay it.”

“Whatever, at least that's one thing off my list. I just came to tell you that you have an interview tomorrow.”

Zero groans loudly. “Don't I have to _agree_ to do these things?”

Laura makes a point of grabbing her phone and reading a headline theatrically.

“ _More controversy has emerged around the L.A. Devils basketball player, Zero. According to new reports, before he decided that he was into guys, he was making his way through his teammates wives. Complete this survey to unlock the rest of the article.”_

_“_ Did you complete the survey?” Jude asks in a that Zero can't decipher, although, he senses that an argument is on the way.

Laura frowns at him. “Why would I do that? It's already a bullshit article. And really, that's your question? We should really be asking Zero why he was sleeping with his teammates _wives_.”

Zero winces because that's not how it happened _and_ it was only one wife. Plus he really needs to let Laura know that there are some things that she can't say in front of his _boyfriend_.

Jude shifts away from him and asks, “Is it true?”

All Zero can say is: “It's complicated.”

He knows it's the wrong thing to say when he goes from being practically on top of Jude to staring at the sizeable space between them. Laura picks up on the weirdness and leaves quickly, but not before Zero manages to give her the evil eye.

“I'm not an idiot, I know that you didn't have the best reputation, I seem to remember telling you to leave me alone when we first met because I could see the danger signs from miles away. However, it would be nice if you at least _warned_ me about this stuff.”

Jude stops there and Zero wonders what the point is. Anger he can deal with, revisiting memory lane, not so much. At least not at the moment.

“What do you want me to say?”

Jude tugs at his sleeve, eyes downward as he says, _“_ It's telling that you haven't tried to put a stop to these stories.”

Zero rolls his eyes and puts even more distance between them. “I'm not about to go toe to toe with the press on every single transgression they drag up, Jude. You of all people know that I don't give a shit. No one is saying anything that I haven't heard before. I'll just ride it out.”

Jude places a hand on his knee and says, “It's not about _riding_ it out, it's about preserving everything you've worked so hard for. Whether it's Jelena or Oscar or whoever leaking these stories, you can't just sit back and take it. The Zero I know would get even.”

Zero's thought about it, but he's got too much riding on his public perception at the moment. If he goes out there and starts trash talking everyone he'll let down his teammates, the fans and the people he's supposed to be inspiring by being brave enough to come out. It's a lot of pressure.

Too much pressure.

“Can we just sit there and pretend that it's just you and me, ignore the rest of the world for a little while?”

It's a testament to how exhausted Zero feels that he doesn't mentally cringe at his own words. Jude seems to see something on his face because he nods, closes the distance between them enough to snake an arm around Zero's shoulders.

**-IV-**

The interview is with an online radio station that Zero has never heard of. In fact, he forgets the name almost instantly and unfortunately, this isn't one of those places where the name is plastered all over the walls. It's just a basic set up, very nondescript and plain looking. Grace is there with her iPad, with hopes to monitor

the situation as is Laura who's here for moral support and because she thinks a certain someone is trying to push her out of her job.

“Where's Clive?” he asks Laura when she tries to run over the question list with him.

“He's sifting through your hate mail,” she quips, before she winces and looks up at him. “Sorry, bad joke. He's going through the fan mail, sorting it all out. That can be mentally scarring so I told him I'd babysit you through this... _interview.”_

She's had a bug up her ass ever since they were told that the station wasn't particularly popular. Zero supposes that he should be wary that he's been used for a blatant publicity grab, but on the other hand, they're a small enough station that he can more or less destroy them if they don't adhere to the agreement.

The first question is standard: how is he dealing with the scrutiny and negative press since his coming out?

“Actually, I think in a way, nothing has changed. I was getting bad press before I kissed Jude after that game and I'm still getting bad press now. That's not a reflection on me, but people's attitude towards me. I'm a controversial topic.”

The interviewer, some nerdy looking guy called Mark, gives him a shrewd look before he says, “So, you don't think the negative press is due to you being gay or the fact that you haven't really said much about it?”

“I'm not gay, and I'm not really interested in being the face of any cause,” Zero says. “Not that anyone has bothered to ask. They just think ' _this guy is selfish for not sharing his story_ ’ but they're not interested in _my_ story.”

Mark frowns and glances down at his papers briefly. “And you think that's somehow linked to the bad press?”

Zero shrugs tiredly and scratches as his chin idly. “I'm not a media expert, so you have to tell me.”

They cut to go to a commercial and Grace speaks up. “No more questions about the press. He'll answer one question about the relationship itself and then two questions on basketball before a couple of fluff questions.”

Her tone doesn't leave any room for discussion and Mark agrees silently.

Laura rolls her eyes, but Zero can see that she's impressed.

Once the commercials are over, Mark asks his question about Jude.

“Your boyfriend, Jude, is the son of the team owner, Oscar Kinkade. He hasn't exactly made a convincing public show of support for you, but maybe you can tell us what his feelings are?”

Zero raises an eyebrow because it's a waste of a question. “You'll have to ask Oscar that.”

Mark turns his attention to the poor form of the team and wonders if Zero's been a distraction.

“Unless my teammates are over invested in my personal life, I don't think so. All team go through rough spots. It's a part of the game. I'm confident that things will get back on track soon.”

Mark nods in agreement. “That's a fair point. One could argue that it's been a topsy turvy season for the Devils anyway.”

“Exactly and we're working on it, but there have been a lot of changes on the team. Terrence isn't playing and that means restructuring how we set up, how we play. I think people forget that we won the Championship not too long ago. We're not far off doing it again so there's no cause for concern.”

Mark's eyes are almost glazed over, and Zero starts to wonder if he's even interested in basketball. Probably not.

“Speaking of Terrence,” Mark says, finally seeming excited for the first time. “He tweeted earlier in the week to say that the 'gay thing’ was probably just another publicity stunt. He also said that in a few months, you'll have moved onto someone else. How do you respond to that?”

Zero laughs dryly and glances over at Grace who mouths 'don't answer’. However, he's not about to set a bad example for Laura who's sitting there with an unimpressed look on her face.

He's fairly certain that she's going to spend a good hour tweeting Terrence a piece of her mind later.

With that in mind he decides to take the high road.

“Terrence and I have some unresolved tension from when I dated Jelena Howard. It's not surprising that he feels that way. I probably broke some kind of teammate code by doing that and I'd never make that mistake again.”

Mark readjusts his headphones and says, “While we're on the topic, there have been some stories about you recently. Past girlfriends, former teammates and so forth. Most of them don't paint you in a good light. How do you respond to that?”

Zero laughs dryly. “I've made some mistakes in the past and I wasn't exactly Mr Nice Guy. I don't expect the narrative about me to change just because I'm dating a guy. Actually, it's kind of refreshing that they're not bending over backwards to kiss my ass. The fact is that it's open season for anyone who has beef with me. I can't respond to all of them, but they now have a platform for their version of events. It doesn't really bother me.”

Grace makes a _wrap this up_ signal and Mark closes off the interview by thanking Zero for his time.

Once they're off air, he shakes Zero's hand and says, “You're much more articulate than I expected.”

“I should hope so,” Zero says, “otherwise I've been making a fool of myself on ESPN this whole time.”

Laura cuts into the conversation to say, “I trust that you're not going to edit anything out.”

Mark raises his hands up in promise. “I need every second of this interview to air if I'm going to be able to keep the station running. You're safe.”

“Good,” Laura says firmly. “Come on Zero, let's go.”

**-X-**

Since Zero kissed Jude after that game, their alone time has basically been when they're sleeping. Going out is an issue, going _anywhere_ is an issue. It's making Zero stir crazy.

“We can always go to Terence and Jelena's engagement party.”

Zero looks up at where Laura is standing in the doorway and blatantly eavesdropping.

“ _We_ are not invited, and by _we_ I mean _you_ ,” he says. “Don't you have anyone to hang out with?”

Laura rolls her eyes. “Uh, no. I broke up with the non-boyfriend and all of his friends are weird slackers who spend most of their free time getting high. Hard pass.”

“Maybe you should visit home for a while,” Zero points out. “Hang out with your old friends?”

“I don't have any of those either. Just the overachieving daughter of my adoptive family. I don't think she's missing me too much.”

It's more than she's ever said about her life in Boston and Zero feels a twinge of guilt. Considering that he's never been one for making friends, it seems like it's a consequence of the hand that they were dealt in life. In that moment, he wishes he could wave a magic wand and make everything _normal_ for her.

“What about your adoptive parents?” Jude asks. Zero looks at him briefly before he looks back at Laura, unsure if she's willing to talk about it.

“Technically, they never adopted me, it was a long term fostering agreement, but they're pretty cool. I can't complain, I just had to get away from them. It's hard to explain.”

There's an uncomfortable silence when she's done talking and Jude looks between them quietly before he excuses himself.

“He shouldn't have asked you that,” Zero says when it's just him and Laura. She comes closer and takes Jude's vacant seat.

“It's fine. It's probably good for us to talk about this stuff every once in awhile. Even though we're already messed up.”

Zero laughs because she's not wrong. They _are_ on the wrong side of well-balanced.

“I know that I don't ask about it, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. I know that it seems like everything revolves around me sometimes, but it really doesn't.”

Laura smiles. “I'll bear that in mind. Now... are we gate-crashing Jelena’s party or not?”

Zero raises an eyebrow. “Did you deliberately bring all of that up just so that I wouldn't be able to say no when you asked about the party?”

Laura snorts. “That _is_ something I might do, but no... I was just trying to point out that things aren't so different for you and me even though we both ended up on different pathways. Or something. I'm not good at this mushy stuff.”

Zero smiles at her. “That makes two of us.’

**-XI-**

“I want it on the record that I don’t want to be here,” Jude says when they reach the Playground.

Clive grumbles slightly before he says, “Why is _every_ party at the Playground? The food here sucks.”

Zero looks across the booth and notices that Clive doesn't even have any food in front of him. “Everything alright, man? I feel like you've not been around much.”

A flash of guilt appears on Clive's face he pastes on a pathetic excuse of a smile. “I'm just adjusting to life on the bike that's all.”

“You sure?” Zero asks. He wants to say something corny like _you can always talk to me_ but he stops himself. Reluctant best friends or not, he has his pride. And they're in public.

Clive nods.

Zero redirects his focus on Jude who's somewhat jumpy and apprehensive, like he's expecting Oscar to show up and physically drag him out.

“Come on Jude, let's dance,” Laura says.

Zero anticipates Jude’s response before he even says, “I don't dance.”

Laura crosses her arms with indignation. “Remember what happened the last time you drank tequila? All you did was dance. Badly.”

Jude points his finger at her and says, “That. That is why I no longer dance.”

Zero snorts and decides to play along. “So why are we even here?”

Clive grunts. “To get some decent food but apparently there isn't any.”

“To satisfy your need to get one over on Jelena,” Laura adds.

Zero glares at both Laura and Clive. “I hate you both.”

He puts his hand on Jude's knee and squeezes slightly. Jude looks over at him with a small smile. Before the moment can continue, there's a series of groans.

“Can you two save the long lasting sex looks for when you're home and far far away from me. You're making me want to cry into Ben and Jerry's and call my ex non-boyfriend.”

“What's wrong with that?” Jude says because he's never met that dipshit before. “Maybe it's meant to be.”

“It's not meant to be,” Zero cuts in before she gets any ideas in her head.

“Definitely not,” Clive agrees. “And I'm usually a second chance kind of guy but he tried to score meth from me twice. The only relationship he needs is with rehab.”

Laura sighs wistfully. “Why do I always attract the screwed up guys? And why is my brother an antisocial NBA player who doesn't have any cute baller friends?”

Before anyone can respond to that, Jelena appears bringing her brand of thunderstorm with her. She's dressed in a white cocktail dress and has a expensive jewelry draped over. She's wearing the diamond earrings that Zero got for her on their third date.

“How did you get in? You weren't invited.” She glanced around the booth briefly before her gaze lands back on Zero.

“I just explained to the doorman that it would be really bad for you if I let it be known that I wasn't invited.”

Jelena rolls her eyes. “You think you're so clever and that nothing sticks to you. I've warned you before.”

Zero snorts dryly, grinning as he says, “You've sold countless stories about me in the last week and yet, here I am, still showing my face in public. Like I told you before, try your mind games with somebody else.”

There's an awkward moment where she glares at him, eyes darkening with fury. In the end she stomps away, almost crashing into a group of people in her haste to get away.

“Do you think she's going to leave you alone now?” Jude asks. He's leaning into Zero and it feels nice. The whole point of this was to stop hiding away from the world, but with all of the drama they've barely had time to take advantage of that.

“Probably not,” Zero says when he realises that Jude's watching him expectantly. “But I can handle Jelena.”

Laura flags down a waiter and snags a glass of champagne before she turns to Zero. “And you don't think it's awkward that you're going toe to toe with your ex-girlfriend for no real reason?”

Zero laughs. “It's not awkward. Right, Jude?”

Jude's smile is forced.

“Clive, come on, back me up here? It's just the rules of life. If someone tries to come for you, you have to sort it out or do your best to show that you're not bothered.”

Clive looks up from his phone. “Huh?”

Laura eyes him suspiciously. “What's up with you? First you let me write those snarky comments on that blog post that was trashing Zero and now you haven't touched a single canapé. Did you fall off your bike? It's okay, we won't judge you.”

Clive shakes his head too quickly for it to be a genuine denial. “I'm just tired. That's all.”

Before Zero can investigate further, Derek and Grace show up and ask if he can speak with them.

“How's she doing?” Derek asks when the come to a halt by the bar.

Zero shrugs. “Good. That radio interview went viral and public opinion of me has changed drastically. Everyone thinks that I'm a carebear.  It's awesome.”

Derek narrows his eyes. “Is that sarcasm?”

Grace waves a band dismissively. “He does that a lot. You get used to it. Anyway, we have a couple of meetings next week for endorsement deals. Nike called. They might be interested in having you design sneakers. Hugo Boss were interested, but I'm not sure I'll get back to you soon on that.”

Zero tilts his head and puts his hand on his chin, eyes wide with surprise. “Not too had for a rookie agent.”

“I'm not a rookie, just stuck in a profession where most people don't take me seriously. Actually, I'm surprised that you're so comfortable with me being your agent.”

“Me too,” Derek adds. “I thought you'd be all primadonna about it.”

Zero looks at them both and says, “Guess I'm just full of surprises.”

**-XII-**

Shortly after the party ends, word breaks out that Pete was injured during a fishing trip. They're saying that it's bad enough that he might not be able to take charge of the team for a while. Someone also suggests that he was drunk at the time and suddenly, there's a mass influx of people wondering if the Pete Davenport of the old is resurfacing once again.

“At least we're no longer the latest story,” Jude says when Zero shows him the article. “I think I've spoken more to Oscar in the past week than I have in my entire life.”

“Is he still giving you trouble?”

“He _was_ , but I think he's given up now that the press mostly focused on you and how awful you are as opposed to the son he never talks about.”

Zero rubs a hand over Jude's back soothingly. “Screw him. I'm sorry that this whole thing ended up being about _me_ and not _us._ I was never in this for publicity or scandal. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, of course. The same way I know that you didn't react to all the shit that was thrown your way because in some messed up way, you think you deserve it.”

“Are you psychoanalysing me?” Zero asks with a nervous laugh. “That's not true.”

“Yes it is. It was obvious after you told me that you slept with Baldilocks’ wife.”

“ _Ex_ -wife.”

“Whatever, the point still stands, you felt guilty about it and you feel guilty about your past behaviour. Enough to pretend that none of this bothers you. I've been watching you over the past few weeks and I can see what each negative story does to you. I just don't think that _you_ can see it.”

“I can't afford to get bogged down by what other people think of me, Jude,” Zero says. “I have to push it down. Bury it. As far down as possible.”

“Not with me you don't.”

Zero looks up at him. “I know.”

~

After they grab lunch, Zero insists on stopping off at Clive's favourite bakery for some of those Danish pastries he likes. There's still something off with him and Zero's hoping that the power of baked goods will compel him to tell the truth.

“Hey, isn't that Clive over there?” Jude says as they're passing through a line of eateries.

Given the circumstances, it's not odd that Clive is there, what's weird is who he's with.

“With...a woman that's not his wife,” Jude continues sourly. Zero eyes him carefully. His natural instincts are telling him to grab Jude and get out of here, but he has a feeling that's not going to happen.

He's proved right when Jude steps forward and approaches the outside area of the café that Clive is at. Zero watches him go before he groans and snaps his shades back on, adjusting his cap before he trails after Jude.

“...just wanted to come over and say hi,” Jude is saying when Zero reaches them.

The first thing Zero zeroes in is the guilty look on Clive's face. The second thing is the woman sitting across from him.

It's his _mother._

The woman who abandoned him without a second glance.

This isn't the first time Zero has seen her since he returned to LA. It's not even the second time. Once he had enough money, he looked her up, found out that she was a two time divorcee without a penny to her name and a serious alcohol issue. He gave up looking for answers after that point. The fifth time she came calling for a handout, he gave her Clive's number and told him to issue her a check that fell in the realm of reasonable. The only condition was that Clive keep it to himself. He's starting to see that burying his head in the sand isn't always the best way to deal with things.

His mom doesn't look great, beneath the smudged mascara and red lipstick, her eyes are dull and her hair is limp. Her clothes are in better condition, so that's something, but there's still that proverbial sign above her head screaming: CAUTION!

“Gideon!” she says when she sees him. “It's nice to se--”

Zero interrupts her mid-speech. “Save it.”

“Fine,” she snaps back at him. “I'm not here for you anyway. I'm here for your sister.”

Clive looks at Zero and tilts his head, silently saying: _this is why I'm sitting here._

Jude, who's remained quiet since Zero reached the table, says, “Wait, she's your _mom_?”

“She's not anything,” Zero retorts. He wants to go further and tell her that she has no business even being within one square foot of Laura, but that's not his choice.

Clive clears his throat and says, “She kept calling me, saying that she'd seen pictures of her _daughter_ and she wanted a chance to get to know her. I didn't know _how_ to tell you.”

“It's fine,” Zero tells him, because it is. He's had enough run ins with his mom to know that she's like a hurricane. She turns up and colours everything with her brand of chaos. “If Laura wants to see her then I don't have a problem with it.”

“I know you don't believe me, but I've been sober for six months,” she says, grabbing onto Zero's wrist like he's some kind of lifeline. “I've been following your team in the papers. Heard about your _boyfriend_! I'm glad you're doing well. You and your sister.”

Zero wrenches his arm free just as she trails of awkwardly. He'd like to believe her but he's got a lifetime of disappointment in the vault that tells him he can't.

Jude steps forward and introduces himself, “I'm Jude. It's nice to meet you.”

“You too, honey,” she says airily, like she's not really interested. She probably isn't.

“We have to go,” Zero says before she can say anything else. “All _three_ of us.”

Clive stands up and grabs whatever takeaway food he got the café to wrap up. “I'll talk to Laura and call you if she does want to see you.”

Zero rolls his eyes and walks away, not even bothering with a goodbye. Jude follows him, grabbing his arm to slow him down. Zero yanks it back and Jude almost crashes into him. It's as if he's living in slow motion when he looks up to see some weird looking hipster filming them.

“I wonder how the media is going to spin this one,” he mutters.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jude asks simply.

“No,” Zero says before he turns and continues walking.

**-XIII-**

“Dude, you're all over the internet,” Laura says when Zero gets back to the house. “TMZ says that you and Jude got into a huge fight downtown. Is everything okay?”

Jude's over at the arena because he's got a few appointments and Clive's nowhere to be seen, so there's no one to flank him during what's definitely going to be an awkward conversation. Not that either of them would. He still hasn't opened up to Jude about everything and part of him is angry at Clive for keeping this from him even though that was his one stipulation.

“Don’t worry about it,” he tells her. “We're fine. Actually, I have something I need to run by you.”

Laura frowns and exhales messily. “Don't get mad but if it's about our mother, I already know.”

Zero's blood runs cold. “You know that she's in town?”

“Yes, and I met with her a few times before it got weird, and then she must have gotten in touch with Clive because he asked me about it and then I panicked and _lied_ and said I had no idea what she was talking about and--”

“You met with her a few times?” Zero interrupts. “Without telling me?”

Laura flounders briefly before she sighs. “We don't talk about her. Or anything. Sometimes you're so closed off and I needed to know what she was like.”

“Great, so it's my fault that she turned out to be a huge disappointment.”

Laura raises an eyebrow. “That's not what I said. And for your information, I defended you when she tried to say that you left her to rot. I did some digging and I know that you send her money. What I don't understand is why?”

“I can't just leave her to end up in a ditch somewhere,” Zero explains. “Like she did to us.”

“I would,” she says. “It’s not like she’s that cut up about abandoning us. You can’t take care of her for the rest of your life and expect her to stay away. It’s not healthy.”

“When did you get to be so mature?”

Laura shrugs. “My parents might not have been able to undo _all_ of the damage caused by how I grew up, but they taught me right from wrong. I just wish you’d had someone like that.”

“I’m looking at her,” Zero replies. “I think having you and Jude in my life has changed me. For the better. Before, family was…a _duty_. I took care of you the same way I took care of her and didn’t expect anything in return and that was wrong. Now I see that it’s more than checks and a phone call every now and then. It's about being there for each other.”

Her eyes start to glisten and Zero hopes that she doesn't cry. He doesn't think that he can he deal with tears.

“You called me, like, _once_ and it was just to say _the water bill is dangerously high_ ,” Laura retorts. “I thought maybe that was your way of saying hi.”

Zero barely remembers that period of time now; it seems like so long ago. “I’m sorry that she disappointed you too. That I did. You don’t deserve that.”

“Neither do you, Gideon,” Laura says. “You might be Zero on the _outside_ but you’re not zero on the inside. Neither of us deserve what happened to us.”

“Zero on the _outside_?”

There’s no way that he’s going to let that slide.

Laura narrows her eyes. “Are we ever going to make it through one conversation without some kind of sarcastic remark?”

“Probably not. Besides, it’s kind of like our thing. What am I on the inside? A hundred? A million? Infinity?”

“I hate you.”

**-XIV-**

Unfortunately, having a boyfriend means that Zero has to discuss things that he would rather forget about.

“I had no idea that your mom lived in LA,” Jude says pointedly. Zero’s channel hopping and trying to find something that _isn’t_ a reality show. He’s definitely not ready for this conversation, but he’s not going to shy away from it either. He owes Jude answers, he knows that.

“It never really came up.”

“Really?” Jude asks. “You grew up here, your sister is here, my parents live here, but that one little fact about your mom _also_ living here just never came up.”

“How many times have I mentioned her to you?”

“Once,” Jude says right off the bat. “When you told me about your sister.”

“How many times has _Clive_ mentioned her to you?” Zero asks as matter-of-factly.

“A couple of times but--dammit, this isn’t about what I know, it’s about what _you_ didn’t tell me.”

Zero knows what Jude is getting at. Jude’s told him all about how much of a shit hole Oscar is and how him working for Devils has caused tension with his mother. Zero’s also seen that his public relationship with Jude has strained his relationship with his parents even further and offered up virtually nothing about his own life.

He doesn’t know what to say.

His mother is so flaky that him dating a guy barely comes up on her radar; she doesn’t care and he has to deal with that. Dealing with it and _talking_ about it are two very different things.

“I’ve been on my own for a really long time and...I don’t know, it’s _weird_ ,” he says. “I look at Laura and I know that we should talk about everything, but we don’t. I’ve been through a whole bunch of therapists but the only thing that makes me feel at peace is being on the court. Being _Zero_. Sometimes it feels like that’s all I know how to do. I wouldn’t even know where to begin deconstructing the shittiness I feel when it comes to my mom.”

Jude looks like he’s unsure how to respond so Zero continues. “When I do figure it out, I promise that you’ll be the first person I come to.”

“Really?” Jude doesn’t look convinced, but Zero knows that he won’t push the matter.

“Yes, really, now stop worrying about me and help me find something to watch.”

~

One of Zero's favourite things to do is fool around in Jude's office. He gets off on the fact that they're technically doing it right under Oscar's nose.

“Not that I don’t enjoy making out in my office, but we were supposed to be at the press conference five minutes ago,” Jude informs him.

Zero pulls away from Jude and rolls his eyes and says, “It’s probably some bullshit about an interim coach. We can just watch it from here.”

He grabs the remote from Jude’s desk and switches on the small flatscreen television that’s bracketed to the wall. It's already set to ESPN, so he leans against the desk and tries to catch up.

“... _I would like to announce that Terrence Wall will be taking over as coach for the rest of the season. He’s proven himself to be a valuable assistant coach over the course of this season and I feel like no one knows the team’s DNA better than Terrence…._ ”

Zero mutes the volume and turns to look at Jude. “I think I’m cursed.”

“It might not be _all_ bad.” Jude attempts to reassure him. “Terrence is a professional first and foremost. I'm sure that he'll treat everyone fairly.”

Zero looks up and sees Jelena is smiling her weird Stepford grin on screen.

“It’s not Terrence that I’m worried about.”

~

True to form, Jelena catches up with Zero when he’s leaving Jude’s office.

“I take it that you’ve heard the good news.”

“Congratulations,” Zero replies sarcastically. “Now you can hang off Terrence's arm at even more events than usual.”

Jelena smiles darkly. “That’s not my concern. With Terrence as coach, your days are numbered.”

Zero purses his lips and narrows his eyes. “Oh, I'm your concern? That's cute. You know, I had my people do a little digging about all of those stories that were released about me. At first we didn’t find much, but then someone let slip that they’d been _paid_ to sell a story. And you know, it’s ridiculously easy to trace a bank account to someone if you have the right people.

Jelena’s eyes begin to narrow, but she doesn't interrupt.

“That leaves you with two issues. One, that you engaged in a deliberate smear campaign against the first openly out player in the league and two, that you’re investing a lot of time in someone that used to be your boyfriend. I don’t think that your fiance or your _fans_ would be too happy about that.”

To her credit, Jelena doesn’t even flinch. “That’s a bunch of bullshit. I didn’t _pay_ anyone.”

“Maybe not, but the account is definitely in your name,” Zero tells her. “You ever hear of that expression? If you lie down with dogs, you’ll catch fleas. Oscar _played_ you.”

Jelena’s eyes flicker and Zero finally sees a hint of panic. He’s got her where he wants her, but luckily for her, she’s a fish in a small pond. It’s not her that Zero’s after.

“What do you want?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

**XV**

“Oscar called me to his office today,” Jude tells Zero three days later when they’re in the middle of having dinner.. “He wanted to apologise for how he reacted to the ‘ _gay thing_ ’ and assure me that my job is safe. Do you have anything to do with this?”

Zero looks up innocently, not really wanting to get into it with Clive and Laura here. “Nope.”

Clive glances at him. “That means yes.”

“Shouldn’t you be at home with your wife?” Laura asks, and if Zero didn't know any better he'd think that she's just interested in hearing about the Oscar situation.

Clive shrugs. “I took another spill on the Harley. I’m probably going to crash here tonight.”

Jude snorts and cuts in to say, “You’re not even going to attempt to lie convincingly.”

Zero dials back his concern for Clive long enough to refocus on the matter at hand.

“He was giving you grief and I took care of it. End of story.”

“I don’t want you to get into some kind of weird battle with him,” Jude says, his voice low and serious. “He’s a powerful man.”

“Powerful men always have enemies,” Zero says. “No one is infallible.”

Laura almosts chokes on her club soda. “That was almost Shakespearean. There was me thinking that basketball players didn’t know how to read.”

“I keep telling you that I’m the exception.”

“You say that like it's a good thing, Zero, but it isn't. It's really isn't.”

Jude still looks unhappy, but Zero is grateful for the change in topic.

~

“Thank you,” Jude says later when it’s just them and everything is quiet. “I should be pissed at you for _handling_ things, but I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to worry about him making threats every time I pass him in the hallway.”

Zero’s asked Jude why he doesn't just quit many times, so he doesn't this time. He just says, ”I don’t get why you want to work for him, but if that's your choice then he needed to be put in his place.”

“I want him to see me on a daily basis, to feel some kind of guilt for what he’s done,” Jude says. He shifts closer and the warmth of his body bleeds through Zero's skin. He shivers because this is all kind of crazy. He's in a relationship, talking about personal shit and...there's nowhere else that he'd rather be.

“Is that the _only_ reason?” he asks. “I just don't want you to keep getting disappointed over something that might not ever happen.”

People like Oscar don't feel guilty, they feel justified. There's always some excuse for their bad behaviour. Zero just hopes that Jude knows that.

Jude turns to him and half-shrugs. “It might be petty, but it’s something I need to do. And... there’s this _one_ player that I’m sort of attached to...”

That makes Zero grin. “Oh yeah? What’s his name?”

Jude's answer is lost in a kiss.

_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was supposed be the last part, but who knows? There may be more. :)


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